Female philanthropists provide transformative performing arts donations for national collection and new museum

Arts Centre Melbourne has today announced that significant donations by three leading Melbourne female philanthropists have been given to the construction of the new Australian Museum of Performing Arts (AMPA) opening at the end of this year, and to secure major acquisitions for the Australian Performing Arts Collection.

The three leading Melbourne female philanthropists – Susan Yates (Peter and Susan Yates Foundation), Virginia Boon (Harry and Virginia Boon Foundation), and Krystyna Campbell-Pretty have provided transformative donations of approximately $1 million each, committing to bringing the wonders of performing arts history back into the spotlight.

Arts Centre Melbourne Chief Executive Karen Quinlan noted “through the generous support of Susan, Virginia and Krystyna, the riches of the Australian Performing Arts Collection will be shared through the new Australian Museum of Performing Arts, and it will continue to be a leader in preservation of performing arts history. AMPA is an exciting new addition to Melbourne’s cultural landscape, and we look forward to opening the doors in December to put a spotlight on both local and international performing arts history.”

Philanthropists Susan Yates and Virginia Boon have both contributed to the construction of AMPA, which opens on Hamer Hall’s Riverside Terrace in December. AMPA will present exclusive exhibitions, featuring both rare and treasured objects from the Australian Performing Arts Collection, while also showcasing the best touring international performing arts exhibitions. The first exhibition will be announced in September.

Philanthropist Krystyna Campbell-Pretty supported two major acquisitions for the Australian Performing Arts Collection. These include 35 objects once owned by Grammy-winning recording artist and actress Olivia Newton-John and Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist Barry Humphries. They include Olivia Newton-John’s custom-painted, turquoise blue Steinway baby grand piano, a classic motorcycle-style jacket worn during her Las Vegas residency, T-shirts worn to perform “Physical” in concert, and her ARIA Music Hall of Fame Award from 2002.

The Barry Humphries acquisition includes Dame Edna Everage spectacles, a gown worn by Barry Humphries as Dame Edna when she danced with Rudolf Nureyev (1987) and a Dame Edna gown worn by Humphries at the Royal Variety Show in the London Palladium Theatre (2013).

Susan Yates, Virginia Boon and Krystyna Campbell-Pretty said their support drew from a desire to ensure performing arts history was preserved for future generations and shared with the broader community.

For Virginia Boon who grew up in a performing arts family and has a performing arts background began volunteering with the Australian Performing Arts Collection after donating a few items from her family’s archive.

Boon advised “My husband Harry and I are proud to support the dream of making this incredible $80 million collection more accessible.

“It’s a joy to see the history of Australian performance coming into the spotlight and to play a small part in helping it find new audiences for generations to come.”

Susan Yates, who began her career in public and education sector libraries before joining the State Library of Victoria’s Pictures Collection said the new museum would allow audiences to expand upon their experience of live performance and learn more about the process of taking a show from page to stage.

Yates shared “AMPA’s exhibitions will shed light on the creative and collaborative process of bringing entertainment to an audience. I think many Australians, like myself, would love the opportunity to enjoy both iconic and lesser-known artefacts from Australia’s performing arts history. So much of it is kind of ephemeral by nature. You see a fabulous instrument, prop, costume or set in a performance, then the curtains go down and you never see it again.”

Philanthropist Krystyna Campbell-Pretty, a retired researcher and management consultant known for her significant contributions to cultural institutions, said the Olivia Newton-John and Barry Humphries acquisitions reflected moments in performing arts history that could now be shared with the community.

Campbell-Pretty added “Arts Centre Melbourne has the finest collection of performing arts archive material in Australia. It’s excellent. I have felt for some time that it deserved to be given a focus and properly presented to the public as a part of what Arts Centre Melbourne offers.

“Performing arts collections document both cultural and social history. The latter is particularly important as it’s the history of how we live, the things that we do and enjoy every day. That of course changes over time and the collection documents those changes through key objects that are part of people's lives.”

AMPA will open to the public in December 2025 with almost 500 square metres dedicated to showcasing curated exhibitions including international touring exhibitions.

Fundraising is ongoing to complete the full vision for the museum.

Phase 1 of AMPA has been made possible via significant support from Melbourne’s generous philanthropic community in addition to seed funding from the Victorian Government, through Creative Victoria.

Image top. Leading Melbourne female philanthropists – Susan Yates (Peter and Susan Yates Foundation), Virginia Boon (Harry and Virginia Boon Foundation), and Krystyna Campbell-Pretty; image centre: Barry Humphries acquisition includes Dame Edna Everage spectacles; image below. Krystyna Campbell-Pretty's donations including Olivia Newton-John’s custom-painted, turquoise blue Steinway baby grand piano, a classic motorcycle-style jacket worn during her Las Vegas residency, T-shirts worn to perform “Physical” in concert